Six preliminary bouts have been set for March 5′s “Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Hendo” card at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and 11 of the 12 participants hail from the Buckeye State.

Three previous Strikeforce participants will be part of the local card, and all six fights were previously reported by GatewayMMA.com.

Headlining the local portion of the card will be welterweight “Relentless” Roger Bowling (8-1, 1-1 SF) as he takes on California based Cesar Gracie product Josh Thornburg (5-1, 0-0 SF). Bowling debuted in Strikeforce last year after tearing up the Midwest scene in the MMA Big Show promotion, but his debut bout with Bobby Voelker ended in a controversial technical decision when he was poked in the eye. Bowling was awarded the victory, but he was stopped via TKO by Voelker in the return match in October. This will be his first outing since. Thornburg is a two-time Gladiator Challenge veteran who has finished three of his five victories via submission.

Stikeforce and UFC veteran Jorge Gurgel (13-7, 1-2 SF) will take on Vision MMA’s Tyler “Superman” Combs (14-5, 0-0 SF) in lightweight action. Gurgel, a longtime training partner of former UFC champion Rich Franklin, competed on “The Ultimate Fighter 2″ and went 3-4 in the UFC before being cut and signing with Strikeforce in 2009. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Gurgel has affiliate gyms in Columbus and around the state. Combs has competed in multiple Midwest organizations, including Chicago Cagefighting Championships and UMMAXX, and all of his bouts have ended before the judges’ scores were given. His most recent fight was a loss to UFC signee Mike Lullo in October.

Heavyweights Jason “The Juggernaut” Riley (9-5, 0-1 SF) and Jason “Freebird” Freeman (5-4, 0-0 SF) will also take part in the festivities. One of the top-ranked heavyweights in Ohio for years, Riley trains in Columbus at Buckeye MMA. He debuted in Strikeforce last August when he lost to former Olympian Daniel Cormer via TKO in the first round. A loss to Bobby Brents at Ultimate Cage Battles in January put him on a two-fight losing streak, and he is looking to resurrect his career with a win in front of his hometown fans. Freeman, who typically competes at light heavyweight, is a veteran of NAAFS and UMMAXX. Four of his five victories have come via knockout, but he’ll likely be giving up a size advantage to the 6’6″, 250-pound Riley.

Middleweights will be in action as ultra-popular Cleveland-based fighter Brian “The Predator” Rogers (6-2, 0-0 SF) will take on Cincinnati’s Billy “Mojo” Horne (5-1, 0-0 SF). Rogers trains at Strong Style Martial Arts in Cleveland and is currently riding a five-fight first round knockout streak. A veteran of Ultimate Cage Battles and NAAFS, this is Rogers’ first shot on the big stage. Horne, also  longtime training partner of Rich Franklin, will face a clash of styles as four of his five victories have come via submission. Neither fighter likes to get out of the first round, as all but one of Horne’s fights have ended in the first five minutes.

Columbus native Marc Cofer (6-5, 0-0 SF) will attempt to right the ship of his career as he looks to break out of a 1-3 streak in his last four fights. An elementary school teacher in New Albany, Cofer has ties to the Relson Gracia Academy and Buckeye MMA. He’ll be taking on the ever-active Mitch Whitesel (15-19, 0-0 SF) in a middleweight bout. A Wreckroom Athletics fighter out of Marysville, Whitesel will attempt to right his own ship as he has gone just 2-6 in his last eight fights. He has already lost twice this year, to Luigi Fioravanti at a WEF event in Florida and to Aung la Nsang at Ring of Combat XXXIV on February 4.

Finally, young welterweights will square off when Jon Kuhner (1-2, 0-0 SF) takes on JP Felty (0-0, 0-0 SF). Kuhner, a Columbus native, has had mixed results as a pro after going 9-0 as an amateur. Already a ShoXC veteran, Kuhner steps back on the big stage, this time in his hometown. Felty went 9-3 as an amateur himself, submitting Bryce Lee Jackson in his last amateur bout in January. Interestingly, Felty was knocked out by Kuhner’s brother Jake last year at the Amateur MMA Festival on the same date, March 5, that the Strikeforce bout will take place.

The complete card for “Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Hendo” is below.

  • Champ Rafael Cavalcante vs. Dan Henderson (for LHW title)
  • Champ Marloes Coenen vs. Miesha Tate (for WW title)
  • Tim Kennedy vs. Melvin Manhoef
  • Jorge Masvidal vs. Billy Evangelista
  • Roger Bowling vs. Josh Thornburg
  • Jorge Gurgel vs. Tyler Combs
  • Jason Riley vs. Jason Freeman
  • Brian Rogers vs. Billy “Mojo” Horne
  • Marc Cofer vs. Mitch Whitesel
  • JP Felty vs. Jon Kuhner

Stay tuned to GatewayMMA.com for more news and features on “Strikeforce: Columbus“.